April 14, 2008

Local 767 in Forest Hill, Texas held member-organizer training on April 5. The training was designed to present the basics of the organizing process to those interested in volunteering on local union campaigns. The topics at the training included one-on-one worker communication, conducting successful house call visits, accurate assessments of workers’ sentiments toward unions, internal organizing, and member mobilization. Participants had the chance to exchange ideas and practice their skills in a variety of exercises and discussions throughout the day.

“Our goal was to give participants a solid overview of organizing and teach some essential skills,” said Claudia Galloway, Senior Training Coordinator for the Teamsters Training and Development Department. “But we also wanted to emphasize how important it is for members to get involved and participate in organizing. Active members play a key role in achieving victories.”

“Thank you to the IBT Department of Training and Development for conducting this training,” said Sandra Jimenez, Organizer for Local 767. “I got nothing but positive feedback from everyone who participated in the seminar. We even had positive comments from people who were not even there. It looks like we may have generated more interest than expected, which is always a great thing!”